Skirt hanger



A. BURNELL Sept. 2, 1952 SKIRT HANGER Filed Nov. 12,1948 1 2 SPEETS-SHEET 1 a l I I l l I ll I l l l J I l I I! lake/afar 4144 #1458 1 BUEIVELL IVILL Affarn? Sept. 2, 1 W. A. BURNELL 2,609,130

SKIRT HANGER Filed Nov. 12, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 C) {$27.32 new 60 f-1L Patented Sept. 2, 1952 3' Application November 12, 1948, Serial No. 59,730. In Great Britain October 1,1948

3 Claims.

x invention relates to skirt hangers, such as are used, to. suspend ladies skirts in a fiat folded condition, so that they may be displayed and stored compactly and accessibly without being crushed or damaged. Known skirt hangers are usually either of the expanding wire frame type. or of the, clamp type. Wire frame hangers are arranged to fit inside the top of the skirt and to be extended by the contraction of coil springs, so permitting the skirt to be suspended, but such hangers have a clumsy appearance and do not allow' the skirt to be displayed to advantage; moreover the wire frame is weak mechanically and liable. to be distorted, while the coil springs, if strong enough to prevent the skirt from slippingfrom the frame, spoil the shape of the skirt. The-known clamp type hanger comprises iwvo horizontal bars between which the top of the skirt is held. Above the bars is a wire assembly constltuting a hinge and hook with a gripping means to clamp the bars together. Alternatively, the hook is shaped to act as a clamp or a wire lever is provided for this purpose. Such a hanger is unsightly in use and often requires adjustment or repair.

Considering the simple nature of the suspension which is desired, these hangers are unnecessarily complicated, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a skirt hanger which is strong, simple and consequently easy to manufacture, which has no parts likely to .become deranged or need repair during constant everyday use, and which holds the skirt firmly and displays it well.

According to the present invention a skirt hanger comprises a rigid bowed plate offset centrally to present a recess to receive means for connecting a supporting hook therewith and having at the side remote from the recess two leaf springs mounted thereagainst with their free ends directed outwards, the plate being formed at the same side as the leaf springs with shoulders situated below the lower edges of the free ends of the leaf springs, the arrangement being such that the top of a skirt can be laid against one face of the plate, and the sides of the skirt folded around the ends of the plate and gripped by the leaf springs. As the ends of the leaf springs are situated above shoulders on the plate the material of the skirt is pressed, at those parts, to a sinuous form which serves to resist any tendency of the skirt to slip downwards due to its weight. In some cases further shoulders may be formed on the plate above the upper edges of the free ends of the leaf springs.

The leaf springs may be formed from a continuous strip the central portion of which may be secured to the offset part of the plate at the side opposite the means for connecting the supporting hook with the plate. r

The plate may be formed of wood, plywood, metal, fibre board, synthetic resin, or any other suitable material.

Theinvention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which: 7

Figure 1 is a perspective front view of one form of skirt hanger;

Figure 2 is. a perspective rear view thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 4 is a front view, on a reduced scale showing a skirt arranged on a hanger; I

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary rear views showing threemodifications, respectively;

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are cross-sections on the lines VIII-VIII, IX-IX and X-X, Figures 5, 6 and '7, respectively;

Figures 11 and 12 correspond with Figures 8 and 9, and show further modifications and Figure 13 is a plan view showing diagrammatically how the skirt is arranged on a hanger.

As illustrated a hanger consists of a bowed strip or plate a sufficiently stout to resist bending and about four inches shorter than the width of the top of a skirt. The strip or plate a is offset centrally as at b to present a recess to receive a plate 0 (Figure 1) which is riveted in position and is bent as at d (Figures 1 and 3) to form a channel to receive the shank e of a suspension hook I the lower end of the shank e having an upset head to engage beneath the lower edges of the plate 0 of the offset portion 1) of the plate a. To the opposite side of the offset portion 1) of the plate a. is secured a continuous strip of spring metal shaped like a cupids bow and constituting a pair of leaf springs g, g, the curved ends of which press against the plate a at positions the location of which is chosen to suit all standard sizes of skirt.

In addition the plate a is formed at that part of its rear face with which the curved ends of the leaf springs g, 9 contact with means for augmenting the grip of said leaf springs so as to resist any tendency of the skirt to slip downwards when the hanger is in use.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3 the rear face of the plate a is formed with recesses h, h the upper and lower edges of which present shoulders so that when the ends of the leaf springs press against the material of the skirt, said material is pressed to a sinuous form, hence additional resistance to movement at right angles to the length of the plate a is obtained.

Figures 5 to 12 illustrate modifications having the same purpose. In Figures 5 and 8 the plate a is shown as being formed with two longitudinal ribs :1, 9'. Figure 11 is similar to Figure 8 except that, at the front face of the plate a, recesses k, k are formed correspondin with the ribs 9'. Figures 6, 9 and 12 show a similar arrangement except that hemispherical projections m, m (or recesses 12, n) replace the ribs 9', 7' (or recesses k, k). Figures 7 and show a single tapered rib 0 at the lower edge of the back of the plate a.

In use, a skirt p is suspended by the hands of the user, the front face of the plate a islaid against the back of the skirt so that the bottom edge of the waistband lies parallel with the top of the plate a and about two inches of the skirt projects at each end as indicated in broken lines at q, q, Figure 13. These ends are then folded around the ends of the plate a and inserted between the plate and the ends of the leaf springs g, g as indicated in full lines at r, r, Figure 13. As mentioned above, the material of the skirt is pressed to sinuous form by the shoulders at the upper and lower edges of the recesses h, h, or their equivalent, and, thus, is gripped securely. The hanger may then be hung up, holding the skirt symmetrically and firmly without creases, and the skirt is ready for storage or for display. It will be noted that for the latter purpose the hanger, when the skirt is viewed from the front, Figure 4, is concealed behind the skirt except for the top of the supporting hook I.

I claim:

1. A skirt hanger for firmly hanging a womans skirt and displaying said skirt, comprising a rigid bowed, horizontally-extended, flat bar shorter than the width of the top of the skirt having a centrally offset recess on the convex side of the bar, a suspension hook extending above and below said bar having a straight vertical shank extending vertically across the oflset recess of said bar, a mounting plate having a vertical channel to receive said shank fitted in said recess, a double-bowed leaf spring mounted on the concave side of the bar including a central flat mounting portion and first outwardly and then inwardly curved bowed portions having outwardly inclined end portions formed of a continuous strip of spring steel, the ends of said spring pressing tightly against the concave side of said bar adjacent the ends thereof.

2. The hanger of claim 1 in which the ends of the bar are recessed to receive the ends of the spring.

3. The hanger of claim 1 in which the ends of the bar are provided with projections adjacent the ends of the spring more firmly to hold the skirt.

WILLIAM ALBERT BURNELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,237,223 Schultz Aug. 14, 1917 1,563,928 Reid Dec. 1, 1925 2,015,281 Obrow Sept. 24, 1935 2,094,655 Holden Oct. 5, 1937 2,171,680 Baugh Sept. 5, 1939 2,345,051 Jensen Mar. 28, 1944 

